Research PRojects

My current projects bring together partners from across research, industry and government to address pressing sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary, practice-based research.

People sorting paper and cardboard in clear plastic bins with crumpled paper and other recyclable materials.

TRASH: transforming refuse in apartments for sustainable housing

ARC LINKAGE

2026 - 2029

Working with apartment residents, local governments, and the waste sector to co-design practical solutions that improve recycling and reduce waste across multi-unit developments. By testing interventions across Melbourne and Sydney, it aims to create scalable models that support more sustainable and equitable urban living.

Assorted disposable food containers, plastic utensils, and a paper cup with a plastic bag of berries and a sandwich in the background.

Tackling food-related single-use plastics in diverse consumption contexts

ARC DECRA

2024-2027

Delivering Australia’s first detailed investigation into the lived experience of food-related single-use plastics and packaging, examining how these materials are used, managed and experienced through everyday practices such as shopping, eating, takeaway consumption and waste disposal.

A house with solar panels on its red-tiled roof, surrounded by trees and set against a backdrop of blue sky with scattered clouds.

Empowering households in resource-efficient sustainability transitions

ARC DISCOVERY

2026 - 2029

A collaboration between RMIT University, Monash University and the University of Manchester, this project aims to explore how Australian households can play an active role in the transition towards more resource-efficient living across energy, water, food and waste.

Construction workers repairing a section of damaged road with bricks, inside a building under construction, with construction equipment and materials around.

Social and policy dimensions of waste minimisation and waste management

ARC TREMS

2022 - ongoing

Investigates how household practices, waste systems and policy approaches can be transformed to support more effective waste minimisation, resource recovery and circular economy outcomes in Australia.

Person placing a cut of raw steak into a plastic bag in a refrigerator with shelves of other meat and food containers.

Fight food waste: Consumer Fridge Behaviour and Waste Reduction of Red Meat

Fight Food Waste CRC; Meat and Livestock Australia

2021 - 2026

The project addressed household meat waste in Australia by examining fridge performance and consumer behaviour. By studying household food storage and consumer behaviour, this project developed practical solutions to reduce meat waste and improve environmental and social outcomes.

Fight food waste: Consumer Fridge Behaviour and Waste Reduction of Red Meat

CoFund EU Horizon

2025 - 2030

DREAM+PLAN exists to get climate research out of the lab faster. 32 PhD researchers, spanning universities, industry, and government across Europe and Australia, organised around resilience, restoration, and regeneration — building solutions together, not alone.

Past Research Projects

Past Projects

Beveridge Action plan

Melbourne calls it a "20-minute neighbourhood." Beveridge North-West asks what that promise actually costs.

CaféLab: Rethinking Food Waste in Australian Cafés

How can Australian cafés move from simply managing food waste to preventing it at the source?

HEET: Housing Energy Efficiency Transitions

Conducted between 2019 and 2024 in partnership with the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and other industry partners, the project examined the social, economic and practical factors influencing the adoption of energy-efficient home improvements.

Democratic Urban Development in the Digital Age

The Democratic Urban Development in the Digital Age (DEMUDIG) project investigated how digital platforms and information and communication technologies (ICTs) shaped citizen participation and democratic processes in urban development.